Delicate
by gayfornay
Summary: Santana Lopez is finally in New York for college and what it may bring, living in an apartment paid for in full by her father. Enter Emily Fields, a pleasant distraction that can't seem to get enough of the still rebellious girl.
1. The First Day of My Life

When I pictured my first day in New York, I never imagined I'd be sitting in a congested bus stuck in traffic. I'm not even sure where I am, really. If I don't get to my new apartment soon, I'm going to start chucking these people out of the emergency exit. Having my brothers move my things into my apartment beforehand was obviously a good idea because if I had to do it, I'd probably move into the wrong apartment. You know what? I'm getting off of this bus before I kill everyone in my path. Like, this is a serious health hazard. I jostle to get through the array of New Yorkers, all but leaping off of the bus.

As soon as my beat up Nikes hit the pavement I'm turning my head this way and that, taking in the new and lively environment. The sun shines especially bright here, the wind whips through my hair and for the first time, I feel free. Before I know what's happening, my feet are moving on their own accord. There are people everywhere; some bickering, some laughing, most moving busily ahead. Turning on my heel, I bump into someone. It takes me a moment to make note of the action because the idea of finally being in New York is unreal, and it has put me in a trance. I immediately apologize, turning to face the aforementioned stranger. I realize whom I've bumped into, and I know for a fact my brain has stopped functioning.

She stumbles a bit, her tote bag hanging off of her left arm throwing her off balance. I reach out and take hold of her arm to steady her. Then, she does something that really throws me off. She laughs in a way that can only be described as harmonious. I smile, her laughter seemingly contagious and I allow myself to laugh with this beautiful girl in the middle of the street. She calms herself down after a minute, and smiles warmly at me.

"Hi, I'm Emily. Sorry for, um, that." She laughs again and I return her smile, nodding.

I take in her appearance, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't impressed. Her long, dark hair is loose and hanging around her shoulders, the wind brushing a few strands against her cheeks. She has a deep purple v-neck with some type of floral pattern on it that curves from her right shoulder around to just above the hem on the left.

"Santana. It was my fault, sorry. You alright?"

"Don't even worry about it. I trip over myself more than I'd like to admit," I raise my eyebrow amusedly, and she just shakes her head, a small smile gracing her lips. "If you're really interested, I could tell you about my reckless endeavors over coffee?"

"I'm fascinated, to say the least," I smile at her, but it soon fades when I remember where I was headed before bumping into Emily. "I actually just got to New York, though, and I have some serious unpacking to do if I want a place to sleep tonight."

"Coffee to go, then?" She asks with a smile that takes up almost half of her face, seriously. That smile is probably the reason I said yes.

* * *

"Do you get to see him?"

"I do. Not as often as I'd like, but I take what I can get." Emily says as she sips her caramel macchiato.

I give her a sympathetic nod, grazing the back of my neck with my free hand.

"What about your parents? Were they okay with you leaving Ohio?" She asks me, turning her head every few seconds to gauge my reaction.

I breathe in heavier than necessary and drop my gaze to the cracked pavement. "My dad sent me here, actually. I mean, I wanted to come, he just... I mean - he _funded_ the trip." I say shakily. My father practically bribed me with New York. He said it would be best of I left, considering '_the state I put my mother in_' when I came out. "Kind of a long story, but in the end, his point in sending me here was so I wouldn't further disappoint them." A dry laugh escapes my throat, and we continue walking forward, leaving the streets and strangers behind us.

"Seems a bit drastic. Are you sure you're even capable of disappointing someone?" Emily's smile is genuine and welcoming and it's what I was hoping for when I answered her question. No judgement. No prying. It was nice.

I look around the bustling street we've turned onto, lifting my hand to shield my eyes and looking for the apartment numbers until I spot _23792_.

I look up at her, just now realizing our slight difference in height. "This was actually really cool. Thanks for doing this, listening to me ramble and insisting on buying my coffee for me. So, yeah, thanks. Thank you."

She grins and gathers me into her arms before pulling away to grab her cell phone. "Here, trade me." The phone is being pushed into my hands as she scans me, silently requesting my phone in return. I touch my hands to both of my coat pockets before fishing my phone out of the back pocket of my jeans, urging it into her waiting hand. I quickly type out my number using her keypad and save it under '_Santana Lopez - Chick I Pressured Into Coffee_' before handing her phone back with a smirk. She raises an eyebrow at me questioningly, but I just pull her into a quick hug before taking my phone back and saying bye. I reach the door and turn around to give Emily a final wave, which she returns before backtracking around the corner.

As soon as I close the door behind me, my eyes eagerly scan through my contacts.

_1st Person I Tackled in NY._

* * *

**1 New Text Message: **_1st Person I Tackled in NY_

The screen of my phone lights up and the vibration buzzes loudly against the hardwood of the coffee table. I walk into the now furnished living room, leaving a trail of cardboard boxes in my wake. Adjusting the strap of my blue camisole, I slump down onto the suede couch placed in front of the coffee table. My face lights up in the same manner my phone did when I see who the text is from, and my smirk only grows as I read what it says.

_1st Person I Tackled in NY  
9:42 PM  
Dont worry I made it home w/o getting mugged. &4 the record there was no pressr_

I shake my head amusedly, sliding my phone open to begin my reply.

_Santana Lopez - Chick I Pressured Into Coffee  
9:42 PM  
good, id hate to be held responsible for any dangerous encounters u couldve faced. ftr, i didnt tackle u. xx_

_1st Person I Tackled in NY  
9:44 PM  
Youre responsible 4 runnin into me&almost pushin me into traffic doesnt that count? Bc you DID tackle me. (;_

_Santana Lopez - Chick I Pressured Into Coffee  
9:45 PM  
actually i think i remember running into u just before u fell in the way of a speeding taxi which wouldve killed u, so u owe me a thank u._

_1st Person I Tackled in NY  
9:45 PM  
Thx 4 putting my life in danger&saving it in under 10 secs_

_Santana Lopez - Chick I Pressured Into Coffee  
9:46 PM  
anytime :) xx_

After waiting a few minutes and receiving no reply, I stepped out of the room again, this time tucking my phone into the waistband of my polyester running shorts. Moving towards the box I was in the process of emptying, I take out the first thing I wrap my fingers around. The photo of Rachel and I from one of our many trips to Cedar Point that I had framed leaves a sad smile on my face. I hadn't talked to Rachel since I got here, even though I had promised her I would do just. Walking over to the kitchen and placing the frame on the granite island, I slid my phone into my hand and held down the _3_ on my set speed-dial. No answer.

"Hey, Rach. I made it!" I let out a short chuckle before continuing with my explanation, "I know it's late, that's probably why you didn't answer, I know how you are with your sleep schedule. I'm sorry for not calling you sooner, I got here around seven, but it took me almost two hours to get home. I met this girl, Emily, you'd like her. We got coffee and she walked me home." I smile at the memory, mentally reminding myself to complete the few other errands I forgot to run on my way home. "You'd like her. Anyway, I already miss you like crazy. I was unpacking and I found one of our pictures from Cedar Point, and I figured I'd call your crazy ass before you went crazy worrying about me. Call me in the morning or something, okay? Don't miss me too much. Love you, bee."

Ending the voicemail and pressing the number to set urgent delivery, I look at the picture of us again and smile. Rachel's been my best friend for almost six years now, and I wasn't lying when I said I missed her. We'd been spending as much time together as possible before I left Lima, hoping that would make the pain of being five-hundred-and-ninety-two miles away from each other more bearable. It didn't seem to be working.

It's not like I can't survive without the girl or anything, it's just _hard_. Rachel knows me like no one else, and she can get me to open up about literally anything. And the thing is, I get her, too. That's why our friendship works, because we know each other, and we're not afraid to call each other on our shit. It's like otters. They hold hands when they're asleep, so neither of them drifts away.

(She made me watch some documentary on Animal Planet last summer.)

She doesn't let me drift away when I'm awake, and I won't let her, either. She's my otter.

My phone vibrates again, and the strength behind the buzz drags be out of my daze. A text message really shouldn't have such great affect on someone.

_1st Person I Tackled in NY  
10:07 PM  
Wht are you doin tmrw?_

_Santana Lopez - Chick I Pressured Into Coffee  
10:08 PM  
hanging out with u? _

_1st Person I Tackled in NY  
10:08 PM  
I was hopin youd say tht. (: Pick you up 6?_

_Santana Lopez - Chick I Pressured Into Coffee  
10:10 PM  
where r u taking me?_

_1st Person I Tackled in NY  
10:13 PM  
Swimming :) do you like chinese?_

A sly smile spreads across my face at the prospect of seeing Emily in a bathing suit. There's no denying that the girl has a good body, which swimming could be the cause of. Anybody in their right mind would obviously accept her offer, which is why I did.

_Santana Lopez - Chick I Pressured Into Coffee  
10:13 PM  
its a date. xx_


	2. Carry The News I Wanna See You

**A/N: **_Hi! I just want to apologize for being a total tit and taking forever to update this. I'm finally out of school for the summer, so that shouldn't be too much of a problem anymore. I'll try to post the next chapter pronto, I just wanted to give you guys _something_ after waiting for so long. I really do appreciate your patience, and thank you for your feedback! xx_

* * *

So, it's raining. Usually that wouldn't bother me, I actually really like the rain, except today it's kind of getting in the way of my date.

It's only half past 8 in the morning, and really I wouldn't even know it was raining if it weren't for the pitter-patter of droplets against my bedroom window. Regardless, I'm getting ready. If Emily and I can't go swimming, we're sure as hell doing something just as fun.

I walk back to my room from the kitchen and sit at my desk. I had managed to put up most of my furniture last night, and I even set up my computer so I could actually communicate with everyone from Lima. There's still much to do, though, but I really need this date to help take the edge off.

As soon as I open Facebook, the vibrant red '1' pops up in my friend requests. I'm not surprised when my eyes meet a picture of Emily, a huge grin plastering her face as she holds a puppy up to the camera. I smile and shake my head, accepting the friend request and heading into my bathroom to do my hair.

**1 New Text Message:** _1st Person I Tackled in NY  
8:54 AM_  
_Hey, dnt freak I hav a back up pln_

I smirk, going about to go back to getting ready before the screen lights up again.

_1st Person I Tackled in NY  
8:54 AM_  
_Dnt 4get ur bikini!_

My eyebrow arches at that, because, um, rain? Yeah, that kind of gets in the way of most outdoor activities, swimming including.

_Santana Lopez - Chick I Pressured Into Coffee  
8:56 AM  
u do know its rainin right? xx_

Makeup seems like a bad idea, obviously, so I skip that step in my daily routine and continue on to my closet. I slip out of the clothes I slept in and into my bathing suit, a simple black two piece with white polka dots. Over that, I pull on a red sundress that I'm pretty sure is Rachel's, because it barely reaches low enough to cover _anything_, really. Whatever, it'll be off soon anyway.

_1st Person I Tackled in NY  
9:02 AM  
Minor setbk. (; I no i said 6 but is it ok if i come b4 then? _

_Santana Lopez - Chick I Pressured Into Coffee  
9:02 AM  
if u come bearing gifts. :)_

My ringtone goes off, a green telephone lighting up the screen as the words _'Incoming Call'_ appear in black just under the time display at the top. Taking in a deep breath, I accept the call.

"Hey."

"Hello to you, too. Thanks for calling Mom after you settled in like you said you would. She really appreciated it."

The fact that he can't see me doesn't stop me from rolling my eyes. "Fuck off, Donny. Is that all you called for? I'm kind of busy, what with being in another state, busting my ass to set some roots, you know. But if you wanna waste more of my time, that's cool, too." Like, really? Seriously? Obviously I'm still getting settled in. If she wanted to talk right when the fucking bus stopped -there's a beep, signaling that Emily texted me back- she could've called. It's not like I just wasn't going to call her, but I didn't have _time_ to call her, not yet, at least. "Is she with you?"

His heavy sigh seems to rumble out from low in his throat, a muffled grunt slipping through. "No. No, that's not all I called for, and no, she's not with me." I wait for him to continue. "I just... You left us, okay? You just left, and you don't even care. You can't even spare five minutes for a _phone call. _I know you're busy being a pretentious bitch, but don't you think you kind of owe it to Mom to be a little more considerate?"

"Look, Donny, I'm sorry. Alright? Is that what you wanted to hear? I'm sorry for fucking everything up by being myself. I'm sorry for being honest, and tearing our family apart by doing so. I'm sorry for taking Dad's 'offer' and getting the fuck out of Lima before they disowned me. I'm sorry that I drove Mom insane. But I'm not sorry for doing something for _me_. You can be mad at me all you want, you'll get over it eventually." Honestly, I don't like fighting with my brother. Everything was just so messed up, and I knew he blamed me. Of course he would, he didn't know what actually happened.

See, my abuela was always a very compassionate, loving woman. She always gave advice to anyone who needed it, and she was somehow blunt and gingerly at the same time. It would only make sense that I confided in her about who I was, who I _am, _in search of the warm hearted woman I was so accustomed to. But, of course, things never go as they're expected to.

The most disappointing part was probably that I was so _sure _that she would come around. I just _knew_ she would. She wouldn't tell anyone before I was ready to tell them myself, god no. The news surely wouldn't spread like wildfire throughout my wide array of family across the states, of course not. She wouldn't promptly abandon me, either. She wouldn't send me on my way and turn her back on me.

Oh, wait. She did.

"Are you there? Tana? You're not the only one with a schedule, y'know." The annoyance in Donny's voice is basically always present, but I can still hear the hope in his tenor tone.

"Yeah, m'here. Sorry. Do me a solid, yeah? Tell mom that I will get around to calling her. I just wanna make sure I have enough time to have an actual conversation with her, that's all. I'll call her. I will." My eyes dart from the fingernail I was picking at to the empty, fiberglass vase across the room.

"I can do that, sure. I should go, I'll tell Mom you called." The _click_ sounds and silence is met from the other line.

**1 New Text Message: **_1st Person I Tackled in NY  
9:07 AM  
Coffee n brkfast it is! Txt u after I get the food_

Well. I have a date to impress.

* * *

I don't really comprehend how someone can look so ridiculously beautiful while wearing sweat pants with the waistband rolled down slightly, and a tank top of all things, but Emily is fully capable of making these things happen. For that reason alone, I figured it would be okay to forget every word I know and stare at her while she stood in my doorway, coffee and breakfast in hand.

"Uh, Santana? Can I come in and eat with you, or would you rather wait for a bug to fly into your mouth?" She smirks and her light laugh flows in and out of the sentence as she tries to keep a straight face. I roll my eyes, smiling and grabbing the drinks from her, taking her wrist in my free hand and walking her to the kitchen. She gently kicks the front door closed behind her and sets the food down on the counter top, shaking her head before she goes to say, "Most people say hi to their guests before forcefully dragging them inside, you know."

Well, most of my guests don't ooze sex appeal upon first glance. "_Hello._" I say in mock irritation before turning to her with a stupid smile. "Happy now? Can we eat?"

She humphs, but then that smirk is back. "At least I didn't get mauled over this time." She winks, which like, really? Who does that? Stop. She moves away from the counter and walks to the room adjacent to the kitchen archway, the living room.

"The night is young," I say, coming up behind her so I can whisper it in her ear. She jumps at least two feet, seriously. She also punches like a _girl_, and I tell her so. Needless to say, I was punched more than once.

* * *

Emily wanted to watch a movie while we ate in the living room, so I started up Netflix on the PS3 I took from Puckerman and told her to queue anything she wanted to watch. I left to grab my phone from my bedroom and walked through the apartment, looking around as I went in the path to my room. Even though I had put in so much time already trying to set everything up, there was still work to be done. But, like my abuela said, there's _always_ work to be done.

My phone was sitting on the windowsill above my bed, plugged into the charger. Thinking back, I still haven't actually talked to Rachel. I should do that. Obviously not right now, because that would be rude to Emily, but I decide to send Rachel a quick text telling her that I miss her like crazy and I will call her as soon as the opportunity presents itself.

I really do miss her. Along with my other friends back in Lima, there's just a lot that I have to do, I guess. I know they're probably busy engaging in their own shenanigans, too, it just kind of sucks to be separated from my friends and moved into a place where I don't know anybody. Well, aside from Emily. I should talk to them, after I talk to Rachel, of course. If I called any of the other gleeks before her, she'd have a temper tantrum, and then find a way up to NY just to yell at me and storm out of my apartment. And then, in true Rachel Berry fashion, she'd con me into taking her to see some off-Broadway show, claiming that it was the only way she could ever forgive me. Bitch.

But before any calls are made, I have company to entertain. Grabbing my phone again, I walk back through my apartment before taking a seat next to Emily on the couch. "Find anything good?"

"Yeah, I think. Have you seen these? I'm kind of a scaredy cat, so I haven't really seen that many horror movies..." Emily says, her voice growing quieter towards the end of her sentence. She starts to scroll through the titles she lined up, and I stop her when she gets to a Halloween themed thriller.

"This one is really good. It's a mix of like, twisted humor, suspense, and gore. Mostly just suspense, it's really jumpy." Turning my head so I can check for her approval, she finally nods her head. "Cool. I'll go get the food, and then we'll start the movie, yeah?" She nods again, and I get up to grab the breakfast biscuits she brought and the same coffee order from yesterday. Since there's a slight draft inside, I figure it wouldn't hurt to bring a throw blanket, either.

Returning to the living room, I set our breakfast down on the coffee table in front of the couch before walking over to my linens closet and retrieving the first blanket I saw. Emily looks at me with a shy smile as I re-enter the room, and I realize that while I was running around, she had moved closer to my spot on the couch. I return it and sit down, her right leg brushing against my left, and drape the blanket over us. "Ready to get the bejesus scared outta you?"

She swallows her mouthful of coffee and smiles at me, teeth and all. "Just promise to hold my hand so I don't cry. Seriously, I'm pathetic." Her laugh weaves its way through her words the way it always seems to do, and the smile it leaves on my face is kind of annoying.

* * *

So, I didn't really expect Emily to actually grip my hand as if her life depended on it within the first twenty minutes, if at all, but it happened. About ten minutes in. Before any action in the movie even took place.

"I may or may not be scared of the dark."

That kind of came out of nowhere, too.

"Release your death grip for one sec and I'll turn the hallway light on, yeah?" But instead of loosening her fingers from mine, she tugged me back down as soon as my butt lifted from the cushion.

"No, that's okay. Nevermind." Her eyes don't leave the screen, but she draws in a deep breath which leads me to believe that she could feel my incredulous stare. Then it clicks.

"Really? I mean, it's just a few feet away. I could be up and then right back here in literally less than thirty seconds." My smirk is well masked.

"Um, no, that's okay. I'm good. Unless you're scared.." She trails off, finally looking up at me and away from the first murder scene. I shake my head and she gives a single nod, biting her lip and shuffling closer to me.

"You sure you're alright?" She sees my smirk this time and raises her head.

"Yes, Santana."

"Just checking."

"I'm fine."

"You could tell me if you weren't."

"Thanks."

"Yeah."

"Okay."

The silence didn't last long. Well, silence barring the buzz of sound from the TV.

"Be quick, okay? I'm scared." My head falls back as I let out an airy laugh, hopping over the back of the couch.

"That's what she said." Sliding across the hardwood floors in my unmatched socks, which, I'm like, a hundred and seven percent sure that the blue one is Brittany's, purely because of the bubble design that wraps around the fabric, I adjust the dimmer to a brighter setting and repeat the sliding process, causing the other brunette to laugh at me. She stops laughing when I jump on top of her, deciding to scream instead.

"Oh my _god_! You scared the crap out of me!"

"Well, I think I predicted something very similar to that happening. So, to be fair, you were warned." I smile, sliding off of her after softly pinching her side. She actually _squealed._


	3. I'll Smile Just The Same With You

Two movies later (one rom-com, one crime based thriller), and Emily is half asleep. She's also hyper, which, how do you even do that? Anyway, she's mumbling through her speech, but I can hear her going on about swimming. It's not raining anymore, but there's water puddles _everywhere_. I went to the mail office between the second and third movies and had to walk extra carefully so I wouldn't get my feet wet. Flip flops weren't exactly my brightest idea.

"But, like. Really though. I wanna swim. Please." She just kind of repeats herself in a whiny way that's a cross between endearing and irritating.

"I understand that you want to get your swim on, Ems, but you're basically a zombie right now," her pout makes her look like a fish. Which is ironic, considering. "Look, I'll take you when you're a little more... alive."

"You promise?" Her eyes aren't even open.

"Sure," the corners of her lips upturn just slightly before reverting to a straight line, "I'm gonna take you to my room so you can get some sleep, alright?"

She nods into my shoulder and lifts her arms the same way a little kid would to signal that they wanted to be picked up, so I do just that. Slinging my right arm under her legs and my left around her waist, I start to make my way towards the bedroom. Her head burrows into the contours of my neck, and she ends up kicking over a couple boxes along the way. When we get to the bedroom, she tightens her arms around my neck before asking me to stay.

"This is my house, I'm not going anywhere." I say with amusement lacing my tone. Emily nods and wraps herself around my pillow, gripping my hand until I start to lean onto the bed. She just kind of looks at me, and the sunlight streaming in through the blinds makes her eyes shine a shade brighter. It's like the over dramatized, intense styled stare that people give each other in crappy indie movies that no one bothers to watch. Except, not stupid, nor typical. There is an intensity to it, though, that shifts the air a bit in a way that I'm not used to.

Soon enough her blinks grow longer and her breathing gets quieter before she nods her head into my pillow, loosening her hand's grasp around mine.

I don't really understand why the people in the movies look at each other the way they do, or how they fall into weird habits like watching the other person sleep. Because being here, next to Emily while she prances around in a world of make believe, feels like I'm encroaching into foreign territory.

So I just lay there, fidgeting as silently as possible, sleepless in the middle of the afternoon.

* * *

"Jesus _fuck_, that's cold!"

"As much as I admire your colorful vocabulary, Santana, there are other matters I would like to discuss than that of the temperature of whatever it is you're feeling."

"Oh, how I've missed you." Rachel's never been too good at patience.

"And how I've missed your biting sarcasm. Really, I don't know how I've made it without you. Anyway, if we could get past this and move onto the questions?" Her voice raises expectantly, and I consent her to go on. "Yes, so, starting out with the most important thing; are you being safe?"

I can't really help but laugh because, safe? What even? But then Rachel spurs on about my health and well being, and that my safety should always be my number one priority. But then, "scratch that, number two. A vast knowledge of musical theory and history are quite necessary if you want to be interesting to anybody, ever," so.

But whatever. "Since you mentioned it, Rach, I meant to call sooner. It's gotten pretty bad, actually. The prostitutes living next door roped me in, and now I'm involved in an escaped prison gang that goes by the acronym JMQ. I forget what the letters all mean, but I think it's something like 'Juicy Meth Queens' or some shit. I'll ask."

There's a pause on the other end of the line, which means that Rachel is counting down from ten, and then her voice rumbles through the speaker. "Glad you're getting on with the neighbors." I can practically hear her eyes rolling through the phone. "You mentioned a girl, didn't you?"

"The prostitutes are women, yes."

Her sighs do this thing where they gradually get louder the more irritated she gets. It's hilarious.

"I was refering to your voicemail, actually. Something with an 'E'. Emma?"

"No."

"Eve,"

"No."

"Elphaba,"

"God, _no_."

"Ellen,"

"No."

"Esther,"

"She's not a psycho, murderous ladychild."

"Elanor,"

"You suck at this game."

"Elisa,"

"Her name is Emily."

Brief silence is met before, "Hm. Emily. I believe that means driven," I feel obligated to shake my head at that, because really, Rachel _would_ have name meanings stocked in the crevasses of her brain. "What's she like?" I must have paused longer than necessary, which led to more questions. "Is she pretty? Do you like her? She's single, right? Does she have family in New York? What does she like to d-"

"Rach, could you stop interrogating me for two seconds? She's really cool. She's easy on the eyes, yeah. I haven't really asked if she's involved with anyone or whatever, but I mean, we're sort of on a date, and I don't think sh-"

"You're on a _date_? You've been there for literally _two days_."

"Yes, I am, and yes, I have been."

"Well, where is this Emily? It's rather rude of you to be on the phone while she's trying to engage in conversation and the like, Santana!" My laugh sets her off more.

Honestly, I just really miss the girl. Rachel's my _best friend_, and that whole _absence makes the heart grow fonder_ piece is annoyingly true. I miss her yelling at me, and tackling me with questions, and _actually _tackling me. That girl is a ball of energy, it's crazy. I mean, I know I sound gross because it's just been a couple of days, but me and Rachel were honestly never apart. Especially the week before I left. We tried to spend as much time together as possible. There was only one night that we weren't together, which was that Thursday. Every other night we stayed at Rachel's house with her dads, usually watching movies and eating some disgustingly healthy tasting vegan meal she or the Berry men made. Most days they treated me more like family than my own did.

Cutting off my laugh, I finally answer her before she starts to ramble, "Don't lose your shit, Sweets. Em fell asleep after we watched some movies, so I went to check out the pool down the block. Where the water, as I previously mentioned, is cold as fuck."

Another pause (read: another countdown from ten), and then Rachel is telling me to be careful, and have fun on the rest of my date.

"Will do, Rach. Talk to you later, yeah?"

"Of course. In the meantime, take care of my city. Love you, Tana."

"Yeah, yeah. I love you, back. Later, Chel."

Rachel hangs up and I start the walk back down the street, and slowly but surely, I make it back into my apartment before Emily wakes up. It's only been about an hour or so since she fell asleep, give or take. I tried to let sleep take me under, but my legs were restless and my mind was racing.

There were still a lot of people I had yet to talk to, so I wanted to at least start. Now that I had checked in with Rachel, I could start working down the list of my friends in Lima. But that could wait.

Dropping my phone on the side table next to the door, I start towards the boxes again. I want to try and organize before I get complacent and the place starts getting messy. I think the worst part of this is realizing how hard this is going to be. Going from being seventeen and having little to no responsibility, to eighteen and living on my own. Obviously some things need to change for this lifestyle to work. As I unpack, I kind of just wish my dad was here. Or that I was there, in Ohio. He always made sure I was taken care of, no matter the cost. And I guess in a way, he's still doing that. He's still looking out for me.

It only would have gotten worse if I had stayed. With the berating I would have received from not only my mother, but from my grandmother, eventually I would break. The women that I spent seventeen years of my life watching, idolizing, they would have torn me apart. And okay, I know it's not exactly great news, but I didn't think that being me, being _gay,_ would warrant that I leave the state and lose the people that I thought would never stray. They resent me now. Even though nothing has changed, even though I'm the same person I was two years ago, they dropped me. And that kind of really fucking sucks.

Four boxes later and I'm too distracted to really organize, so I retreat to my bedroom. Emily's still asleep, but she's sort of twitching, the same way Brittany does when she's having nightmares. If that's the case, I don't want to deal with an emotional Emily, because who knows how that could end up. Sliding into my former spot on the bed, I nudge her arm with mine until she nods her head into the pillow like she did earlier. She stops twitching, but she doesn't wake up.

"Em," I whisper, looking at the surrounding walls instead of where her eyes could meet mine again. "Ems, wake up." I'm pretty sure she's awake when she shifts her legs, but it's blatant when she groans.

"But why," she frowns and turns her head into my pillow, drawing in a deep breath. Luckily, she doesn't see me roll my eyes.

"Uh, cause you wanna swim. That's what you came here to do, believe it or not. So, I would like to take you swimming."

She turns over to face me again, curling herself into a ball around my pillow again, "How long have I been asleep?" then she looks outside the window to get a sense of what time it is.

Shrugging, I answer her, "Maybe an hour and a half? Not too long," this time her eyes dart around my room in search of a clock, "it's almost seven."

"Oh, shit. I'm sorry, I stole your bed and denied you of having basically any fun," She bites her lip and gets this far away look on her face. I wish I had half of a clue about what ever it is that's going on in her head.

"Nah, that's cool. You still up to swim?" Her eyes find mine again, but not the same way they did earlier. It's like she's not here, but I don't know where she's gone.

"Would you hate me if I asked for a rain check?"

The way my eyebrows furrow and my lips purse probably isn't reassuring. "Not if you have a kickass explanation."

She's the one shrugging this time, "When my roommate has to work the morning shift, I try to be in before ten so I don't wake him up."

Oh.

Alright.

I nod a little too excessively before putting my big girl panties on and using my words, "Oh. Alright." Way to make an ass of yourself, Lopez.

"Um, yeah. But, I could probably sneak in? If you really wanna go tonight, we can go tonight. Really." She looks guilty, and like, that's not cool, so I shake my head again and insist that it's fine.

"I totally understand. Rachel would have my ass if I did that to her, so I get that. We can reschedule," the confusion on her face wipes the small smile off of mine. "What?"

She looks around my bedroom and her nose scrunches up a little when her eyebrows come closer together. "Who's that?"

Before I know it's happening, I'm shaking my head again. I seem to be doing that a lot lately. "Rachel, she's my best friend, I was basically living with her before I came here," wait. "Well, she and her parents. She's really crazy about her sleep schedule and all that."

Emily nods, but there's this tension now, and what the fuck is that?

"She sounds interesting. Is she coming to visit you anytime soon?" Emily asks, nodding during the first half of her response.

I shrug, "Hope so. We're still trying to figure it all out."

"Can I meet her? If that's alright with you, of course," She puts her hands out in front of her, palms up.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, I don't see why not. Why?"

There's a lot of shrugging going on here. "I just think it'd be cool to meet someone from your hometown, especially your best friend." Her smile is so real, and I don't know how she can find common ground between a soft smile, and a grin that could take up half of her face.

"Yeah, cool," I smile back at her, and honestly, how does she do that? "Anyway, let me walk you home." She quirks her brow but smiles all the same, and we both move to the living room so she can gather her things. Within five minutes, we begin our trek to Emily's.

* * *

The walk back is relatively quiet, aside from talk of the movies we watched and the possible details of when our next date would take place. Her hand is in nonstop motion while locked with mine, though, which takes the conversation in another direction.

"I'm pretty sure you've changed the way you're holding my hand seven times now," I bump my shoulder with hers and she ducks her head, and that only makes her look cuter.

"I have this thing," she looks at me with serious facade before giggling and moving her gaze back to our feet, "I can't stop moving when I'm nervous, or excited, or anxious."

I laugh, too, but mostly because as she said that, her fingertips glide against the back of my hand. "So basically, you have to move your hands like you're jonesing, or what? You explode from the all the energy?" She shoves me with her shoulder before her laughter booms out of her chest, and our voices mix together until I'm not sure who's laughing.

She gives a nod, pushing her lips up into a frown, "Essentially, yes. I will literally combust."

We laugh almost the rest of the walk to her place, our fingers dancing together the whole time. It's kind of ridiculous.

Too soon, though, we end up at her door. It's like a twenty minute walk from mine, so that's fairly convenient. We smile at each other like total idiots and she reaches into her back pocket for her keys. She pulls them out, but she doesn't put one in the lock. Instead she looks at me, the same look she gave me before she fell asleep, and her smile grows.

"I had a really good time today, even without the swimming."

I smile back at her, kind of wishing she didn't have a roommate and that we were at the pool down the street from me, or even still in my apartment. "You're beautiful."

Well. That wasn't exactly on the list of things I planned to say, but it wasn't a lie, so.

It's like she can't stop smiling, and I really like that. I like her smile, and I like that I put it there.

"That's sweet. You are too, San." My eyes roll. I can't even help it at this point. She pulls me in by my other hand, and then both of them are released. Her arms wrap around me instead, and mine follow suit. With hers around my neck and mine around her waist, she pushes her nose against my neck. One of my hands drifts up and rests on her shoulder from behind. She smiles into my skin, and then presses her lips forward, kissing me just under my jaw.

Oh.

Okay.

She pulls away, and I swear she's blushing. We smile at each other again, and I wrap my fingers around her forearm, kissing her cheek before releasing her again.

"Goodnight, Ems."

She nods, still smiling. "Night, Santana."


	4. I Find The Map And Draw A Straight Line

We've kind of just been at it for weeks.

Not just the cheek kissing and hand holding, either. Although, those things are pretty damn sweet, too. But no, it's been, like, nonstop hanging out and exploring the city together for a couple of weeks now, and it's basically just really incredible.

We're not dating. Well. We're sort of dating, but she's not my girlfriend, and we haven't even properly kissed yet, which rules out a few other things (unfortunately), but I think we're definitely getting there. Like, what we're doing right now? It kind of fits in to what most people would deem 'couple-y'.

Cuddling is great, and if you think otherwise, you're lying to yourself. Honestly, there aren't many things better than gettin' cozy with pretty ladies. Especially when the pretty lady is Emily Fields. This week, though, we've both been pretty busy.

She actually has a job at this little coffee shop that's about ten minutes from both of our places, so I've made a point to visit her between my own job interviews. Her uniform is legitimately the cutest thing ever. Ever. But see, the thing about Emily is that no matter who you are, she will be nice to you until you give her a reason not to. Working at a coffee shop, she ends up dealing with a lot of irritable people. There was one lady that said she had a deviant soul, and even threw her coffee cup at Emily for literally no reason, she was just crazy and needed caffeine. Which was obscenely ridiculous because she had no business yelling or creating violence with my gi-her, and if I would've been there, I would've ripped that bitch a new one. Emily brushes it off like it's no big deal, because apparently she puts up with that on a regular basis. Needless to say, Emily's been super stressed lately, and it's not fair.

So I figured I would help with that. We've both been out and about, so we decided that Thursdays would be reserved for our downtime together. Which usually leads to cuddling, thankfully.

"I'm serious! I don't think that's even remotely possible."

"Santana. I've seen it on TV."

"What channel? _Disney channel? _Because I swear to you, giraffes don't ski. It doesn't happen." She pinches the arm I have curled around her waist, but she's laughing all the same.

"_No,_" she says, mock bitterness lacing her tone, "on _real life television_, Santana. Stuff that's a hundred percent provable." I'm glad her back's to me, because if it weren't, she'd slap me for rolling my eyes.

"Sure, babe. I absolutely believe you because of the evidence you have presented me with. Oh, wait. You have none." Turns out she didn't need to see me roll my eyes, because I was still slapped. "Ouch! Why are you so mean to me?"

"_Me?_" She actually turns around, which like, hi Emily's eyes, you're looking particularly glittery today. "If anybody's mean here, it's you!"

This has been my favorite part of the past weeks, really. Emily can be so unbearably adorable, and she doesn't even know it. She gets all fiery and smiley and cute and it's just too much. "Oh, it's totally you. You hurt me on a regular basis! I have _bruises,_ Em."

Emily does this little scoff-type thing. "You hurt me right _here_." she then lifts her fingers from my jawline to outline the space around her heart.

"Nuh uh. Your heart's completely fine, you cry baby. Look," she's too busy shaking her head to see it coming, but I raise my hand and press it over the space she just mapped out, feeling her heartbeat. It doesn't feel like it's about to explode out of her chest cavity, so I think we're good. "Feels normal to me."

She ducks her head a little bit and scoots down the couch a little bit so she can rest her hand on my hip and her head on my own chest.

"Yours sounds pretty good, too."

This is just a reminder of how stupid it is that I haven't kissed her yet. How has that not happened? It needs to.

It's getting fairly late anyway, so we just stay like that for the rest of the night, and eventually she drifts out. Watching her sleep isn't as weird as it was that first time, I've mostly gotten past the whole 'this-is-creepy' phase, I guess. I could count on one hand how many times it's happened, though, so I'm still not totally used to it. For whatever reason, it's taking me longer than usual to fall asleep with her. Majority of the time, after I hear her breathing get heavier, I can fall asleep within ten minutes. It's been twenty, so I noticed a few more of her sleeping habits.

Emily talks in her sleep.

xx

The next morning really isn't weird, because bringing me breakfast has actually become part of Emily's routine when she doesn't have to work the morning shift. So it's not like it's awkward that she's here, not even that she was sleeping on top of me when I woke up. It's a little weird that she kept saying another girl's name in her sleep, though.

"So, do you actually eat here when I don't bring you food? There's, like, nothing in your fridge."

Her arms aroung my waist and her nose pressing into my neck distract me from the question, so, "Sorry?"

"Food. Where do you keep that?" Emily's smirk is fucking sexy, there's no other way to put it.

"Uh, yeah. Just, you know." Emily's laugh is also really hot.

She nods, kisses the side of my neck, and then just walks back into the kitchen.

"Do you want anything in particular?" She asks from the doorway.

I shake my head, still kind of overwhelmed. Like I said, we've been doing things like that regularly, but it's usually after my brain starts working and not at an ungodly hour of the morning.

She makes biscuits, the extra flakey kind that could literally be used as pillows, and I can't really help but pull her into me while she makes them. Seriously, the only thing better than biscuits are breadsticks. Oh my god, I wonder if there's a BreadstiX around here.

xx

Emily hung around for a while after we finished breakfast. We watched some reruns of _Friends, _and she played with my hair while I made phone calls. Nothing too exciting, but I was happy she stayed, and she was happy to be here. It was nice.

I didn't mention the girl that she was dreaming about or whatever. That's her business. And even though I'd like to know basically everything about whoever she is and why she's even relevant, it could be literally anything. If Emily ever wants to talk about it, I'm cool with that. But I'm not going to bring up something that I have no business talking about.

So maybe I should... _educate_ myself. That's what Facebook is for, right?

Ten minutes later and I find myself sitting at my desk, the website now opened. But, fuck. What am I even doing? So what if Emily is dreaming about another girl? I dream about girls all the time. Beyonce and I kind of have a thing, actually. Anyway. Who even cares? Alison is a super popular name. Maybe she watches _Community_. Even if she doesn't, so what? She can dream about whoever she wants whenever she wants how ever she wants.

Would I like her to be dreaming about me? Duh.

xx

Emily calls a few hours later to let me know that she won't be able to stop by at all tonight, because she has to cover another shift for one of the idiots that works for her. It sucks, but it's probably for the best right now. I've managed to unpack (mostly) everything, but now it's less about that and more about getting the things I didn't know I would need. Like the purchases I've already made this week: paper towels, an extra toothbrush(shut up), dryer sheets, light bulbs, a fan, and curtains. Crazy, right? So while she's busy making lattes or whatever the hell, I'll be furnishing my apartment and running errands. Which might not be a bad idea, because this will give both of us a chance to actually be _productive _instead of, well, us.

But like, I haven't been doing anything since she left, anyway... Why start now? I could always just go back to Facebook.

Who the hell is Alison?

xx

Once I got to Emily's 'Friends' page, I knew that I should really just stop. That's exactly what I do, because really, what difference does it make? If Emily had a thing for this girl, how would that change anything? It wouldn't. She obviously doesn't have a thing with Alison anymore, because I feel like I would've met her or heard of her or _something _if she did. So we're good. It's good.

I don't really want to keep thinking into this so much, so I opt to take a walk. I've been around the 'neighborhood' a decent amount of times by now, so I know my way around pretty well. Lately I've been going on early morning runs just to clear my head, and the muffled buzz of the city is quite relaxing. It was always so eerily silent in Lima, and I don't think I've ever hated anything more than the deafening hum of _nothing_ that encompassed the whole town.

I love it here. I love the lights, the music, the traffic, even the smell has grown on me. I finally got out of Lima, no matter the circumstance, and New York is everything I wished it would be. Well, mostly. But everyone gets homesick at some point. I've been keeping closer tabs on my family now than I had been at first, especially with my mom(not that she gave me much of a choice), but I still wish I had my friends with me.

Rachel's been too busy making lists of pros and cons for the eleven colleges she was accepted into to talk to lately, Brittany and Mike are starting a dance club together or something, Quinn's in fucking Germany for a month, Puck's been having some shit with Shelby Cocorwhateverthefuck, 'Cedes has been MIA for three weeks, like, nobody even knows where she went, and Sam and Artie work at some superhero-themed summer camp.

Whatever. That only leaves a handfull of people that I don't particularly want to talk to, and that's pretty shitty. I don't even care. Courses are starting in the fall anyway, I'll have tons of new friends and I'm sure they'll be just as great, if not better, than the Lima Losers I'm used to. It's fine. Everything's fine.

_Who the fuck is Alison?_

xx

"Hi, can I help you?" The guy who answers the door clearly isn't Emily.

"Um, yeah, hi. Is Emily here?"

"Emily's at work."

I sigh, shaking my head at myself. How could I forget that she worked two shifts today, when she called me to tell me just that? Oh yeah, because I'm an idiot. "Right. Thanks."

As I'm turning to leave, the guy taps my shoulder to get me to turn back around. "I could tell her you came by?" he says, looking at me with this weird cross between a stoney and blank expression.

I shrug nonchalantly, "Nah, it's fine. Wasn't important. Thanks, though."

He smirks (it isn't nearly as sexy as Emily's), and nods, "Obviously it wasn't. That's why you walked here to talk to her, right?"

Who the fuck? "Whatever. You don't even know how close I may have been already. I could live in this building, so. Whatever."

He laughs, which, okay, rude. But then he nods again, "Santana. Yeah, nice to meet you. I'm Caleb."


	5. I'll Be Your Safety, You'll Be My Lady

**A/N: **_Hello! I can't apologize enough for the unannounced hiatus I put this story on. Due to family obligations, I wasn't able to give this story the attention it deserved until recently. Thank you _so _much to those of you that are still around, hopefully this chapter helps to make up for lost time. Hope you enjoy it._

* * *

"Look, not to be rude, but I don't particularly enjoy being interrogated. I should go." I've been trying to leave Emily's apartment and the strange guy that resides in it for almost eight minutes now; I counted. This guy will _not _stop asking questions, and like, I'm not about it right now. I came to see Emily, not Caleb.

"Hey, not so fast. I'm not trying to be a creep, it's just instinctual," He has a smile that's less intimidating and more friendly this time, so I don't immediately run off. "Listen, Emily doesn't really have anyone here for her. I definitely don't have control over the decisions she makes, but that doesn't stop me from doing my best to keep her at _her_ best."

He takes a second to organize his next words in his mind, and I wait patiently. Maybe this guy isn't as dubious as I thought.

"I can't stop her from pursuing you, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna let her go out and spend all her time with someone I don't trust." Okay, maybe he isn't that friendly after all.

My eyes narrow habitually, and the words escape before I can stop them. "That's pretty presumptuous, considering you've known me for two seconds now. It's really none of your goddamn business. Whether or not Emily 'pursues' me is up to her, not you."

"I'm just looking out for her." His expression has returned to somewhat intimidating, and seeing as I've only just met him, I don't think it would be wise to push him.

I sigh, giving a single nod. "I get that, really. It's just disheartening to hear that you already don't like me, and we've only known each other for a few minutes. And clearly you and Em are close, otherwise you wouldn't be living together, so if you don't like me she probably won't anymore either, and at that point what am I even doing here, right?

"She's like my only friend here so far and classes don't start for another month, so it's not like I have a net to fall back on, so if you don't like me, really, that's the end of it all; I might as well just start packing now and book a flight back to Bumfuck Nowhere, Ohio." I think that's the longest I've ever spoken without taking a breath or being interrupted.

He gives me a look that I can't even distinguish before nodding once, "You should know that Emily is her own person. My opinion, believe it or not, doesn't mean that much to her. Not about people, at least. If she wants something, she'll get it; simple as that. Don't worry about what I think of you. Hell, you didn't even give me a chance to determine what that is. Take a breath. Go home." With that, he smiles.

xx

Emily's sent me seven texts in the past two hours, but after meeting Caleb, I'm not sure what to think. I'm a bit put off, if I'm being honest. I don't want to worry her, but I don't even know what to say. What do you say after you're given a speech like that? He probably thinks I'm a bitch, which he probably won't hesitate to tell Emily. Maybe he already has, and that's why she's been texting me.

That's the thing about people, you don't know what they're capable of until you've done something to piss them off. Keeping that in mind, maybe it's best to steer clear of Emily for a couple days. Nothing serious. I'm sure she'll understand, she probably wouldn't mind a little space, either.

But that's easier said than done, isn't it. The eighth text comes in just three minutes after the seventh, and it basically says she's sorry for blowing up my phone, that she's worried, and to call her in the morning.

It probably would have taken another hour for me to fall asleep if I wasn't so exhausted, but walking twenty blocks to try to clear your mind can be pretty tiring. Twenty minutes later and I'm in a restless sleep.

xx

"Don't stress, babe. If it's meant to be, it'll be; simple as that." Puck's voice, though staticy through the phone, is refreshing. "Listen, Santana. You're in New York. Where else would anyone wanna be? It's the Big Apple, don't let some girl make it any less glorious. There's like twenty million other people there, go meet some of 'em."

"When did you get so insightful?" I can't help the smile that spreads across my face. Puck's a really good guy, he just doesn't always get it right. He makes up for it in moments like these, though.

He laughs through the words, "Rachel's been nagging me nonstop about being a better Jew for weeks now."

That has us both laughing before our voices start to fade. "Miss you, babe."

There's a lump in my throat before I know it, and a brief silence passes because I can't get myself to form words. "Me too, Puck."

I don't have to see him to know we're both smiling, and with that, the call ends.

As soon as I lock my phone, another text comes in. From Emily.

**1 New Text Message: **_Ems_

_9:37 AM_

_Plz dont be mad at Caleb_

And another.

_Ems_

_9:37 AM_

_Hes just overprotective, im sorry_

This girl. I might as well call her. There's no point in avoiding her, she didn't do anything wrong. It's 9:45 when I finally call, and she answers after the first ring.

"San," she lets out what sounds like a breath of relief before continuing. "I'm really sorry, I had no idea you were coming over; I didn't know Caleb was going to scare you off like that, I'm so sorry, San. Please don't be mad?" Her voice raises with the question.

"First of all: I'm not mad. Your roomie had a point to make, I get that. He didn't scare me off, promise. Second of all," a smirk rests on my lips as I go on; this girl is too much, "your rambling is kind of really freaking cute."

Emily's laugh is even cuter. "Can I see you?"

"As long as you leave your housemate at home." I probably shouldn't be smiling as widely as I am, but god, Emily just _does that _to me. "What'd you have in mind, babygirl?"

"I thought maybe you'd like to come to mine, actually. While I'm here, this time," the smile in her voice almost distracts me from her proposition, but she speaks before I can, "He's not here, don't worry. But yeah, I figured I'd show you mine, since you showed me yours."

"Emily Fields, I cannot _believe _you would use such an innuendo."

She giggles once more, "Shut up and come over."

xx

Emily's apartment is much more put together than mine. There's photos and trinkets and books and candles and CDs and oh my _god, _it's _perfect._ She greets me at the door with a kiss to my cheek, and I return the action. We walk through her living room, dining room, and then down the hall to her bedroom. She holds my hand the whole way, and keeps ours linked well after we're on her loveseat.

"So, this is where the magic happens, huh?"

Emily shakes her head with a smile, "More like lack of."

"Well, I could always fix that." I wink at her, wagging my eyebrows dramatically.

She bites her lip and looks away, but I see her smile coming back almost immediately. "Actions speak louder than words, you know."

"Challenge accepted." She snaps her eyes to mine faster than I can blink, but I don't think being tackled by me is what she was expecting.

Her laughter fills the space between us, and I don't recall ever feeling this warm since arriving to New York. She grows silent gradually, but she's still laughing, and _god, _she's so damn beautiful. Her eyes squeeze shut as soon as I start to tickle her sides, and she thrashes around frantically.

"Sto- San, I- _please_" Emily looks like she might suffocate if she doesn't take a breath in soon, so I stop tickling her until my fingers are stroking over the skin of her stomach, which became exposed just a few moments ago. She's still half-laughing, and I don't realize I'm smiling down at her until she mirrors my expression. "That was rude."

"Well, you shouldn't have provoked me." I didn't realize it was possible for skin to be this soft, but leave it to Emily to defy the laws of _everything_. My fingers migrate to her sides, just above her hip bones, and she smiles softly at me, not even attempting to retort this time.

Her left hand connects with my right, lacing our fingers together over her ribs. The fingers of her right hand curl around my shoulder, and she pulls me down until I'm half on top of her before letting her hand fall against my collarbone.

"It's unfair that you aren't even ticklish." She pouts, and her finger jabs at my neck when I laugh.

"There are other ways to make me squirm."

And that's the end of everything that has ever existed, because everything starts over and goes in reverse when Emily's nose pushes against mine until our lips meet.

It's electric and static and liberating and my heart is _pounding _when her hand moves from my collarbone to the back of my neck. Her lips are soft and warm and they feel amazing as they move in pace with mine.

Emily is a patient kisser. There's no rush, no push, no pressure, just kissing. My hands are shaking as they grab at her sides, but hers are calm and steady. She moves the hand that was intertwined with mine to my waist, squeezing softly.

It's over much too soon when Emily presses her lips to mine a final time, pulling back just enough to rest her forehead against mine. "Santana?"

"Em."

She slides her nose against mine. "I really like you."

"I gathered." I kiss her again softly, smiling as we break apart. "I really like you, too."

Emily presses her lips to my jaw, rolling until she's hovering over me. She grabs my hands, pulling until we're standing again. My arms wrap around her waist, hers around my shoulders, and we just stand there, holding each other. She kisses me in the same spot again, and I'm having trouble believing this is real.

"You have no idea how badly I've wanted this." She smiles, nodding her head.

"I think I have a pretty good idea, actually." She looks like she's in a dream when she says it, and I'm sure my expression is the same.

"We could have been gettin' our mack on much sooner if you would have told me you had a crush on me."

Emily makes this fake scoffing noise and nudges my nose with hers again, "Likewise, jerk."

I smile, quickly kissing her lips a few times. "Whatever, I forgive you."

She rolls her eyes, but kisses me back all the same. "Wanna watch some movies with me?"

"That depends. Did you plan on actually watching them?" She smiles and slaps my arm, pulling me to the bed.

xx

As it turns out, Emily _didn't _plan on watching the movies. She planned on getting halfway through Zombieland and falling asleep on me. And okay, not that I'm complaining, because Emily is even prettier when she's asleep. But Emily moves around in her sleep sometimes, and while it can be adorable, it isn't as appealing when her elbow is pushing against my ribs and her leg is on top of both of mine, rendering me unable to move. I've tried to move her twice now, but to no avail. She moves closer every time, which, yeah, not complaining.

"Em... Em, baby... Emily," She wakes up as I rub her back, lightly nudging her onto her side. "You wanna get some lunch, sweets? It's almost one o'clock."

She nuzzles back into my side, this time slinging half her body on top of me and letting her arm slide across my torso. "No."

And, okay, I'm pretty strong willed, but when someone as incredible as Emily Fields is kissing me into agreement, I'm not gonna put up a fight.


	6. Keep Your Heart Close To The Ground

"So, listen, I know we're not even official girlfriends yet, and I don't wanna end anything before it has the chance to begin, but I need to ask you about something." Emily gives me a funny look, motioning me closer.

She's been coming over almost every morning to make breakfast for us while I set up blankets in the living room for us to lounge in while we watch TV and just talk for a bit. It's been pretty perfect. Thing is, I can't stop thinking about what she said in her sleep. I know, I know, it was a long time ago Santana, get over it, you got the girl. But, it wasn't just once. Emily's said the name Alison in her sleep four times now, and that's only counting the times when I'm around to hear it.

I don't want to be weird, and like, interrogate her, but I'm just worried.

"You worry too much. Ask away." She says, pulling me into a hug and giving me a quick kiss.

I smile at her, dropping another kiss to her lips to conjure up some courage. "Uh, it's kinda weird. And, like, please don't be mad or anything, because I'm not mad, I just don't, um… okay, so you do this thing," Emily looks like she's stifling a laugh, but I can tell she's doing her best to keep a straight face and let me get through with my rambling. "And, I mean, it's not like a _thing_, you know? It's just, uh, something."

"Santana, just tell me what's wrong." She looks a little worried now but I can still see the humor on her face.

I let out a heavy sigh. _Guess there's only one way to do this._ "Who's Alison?"

And suddenly, the humor is gone. Emily backs up a little, sliding her arms from around my neck until her hands are lightly grasping my forearms. "Wh-what?"

"I'm not mad, I don't even know enough to be mad about anything regarding her; I just—I wanna know who she is."

"What are you—how did you even find out about her?"

Okay, so now I'm a little nervous. Why is Emily freaking out? I should be the one freaking out; my almost-girlfriend's been saying some other girl's name for weeks! How am I supposed to keep calm now? "What do you mean _find out about her_? What's there to find out?"

I don't even know how to classify what emotion I'm feeling right now, but I'm trying to keep what little composure I have. I'm just confused, and scared, and worried, I can't lose Emily now. What if Alison's better than me? What if she's Emily's girl from back home? How am I supposed to compete with that?

Emily takes a steady breath. "No, Santana, it's nothing like that. Ali—she and I aren't involved."

"Then why are you being so weird now?"

She shakes her head, and I feel like I might be overstepping, but I need to know what's going on. I can't go into another relationship built on secrets.

"It's a long story, San. But baby, listen to me, I'm not doing anything to hurt you. I'm not going to hurt you." She moves in to kiss me, and I let her. I don't want to leave things like this, though. Obviously something's not right here.

I pull her back to me, kissing the side of her neck. "I want to know. We don't have to talk about her right now, but I want to know what's going on, okay? Soon."

"Soon, I promise." Her arms are back around my neck and mine are around her waist, and from that point on, Alison doesn't matter. She doesn't even exist.

Emily presses us closer together, nuzzling our noses together gently. "I don't want you to be mad."

"Just tell me there's nothing to be mad about." My eyes search hers, looking for some kind of confirmation that this Alison girl isn't going to come between Emily and me. Emily is quickly becoming the one person that can brighten my mood. Having something separate us so easily wouldn't be something I could handle.

She shakes her head at me, meeting my eyes. "There isn't. Just give me a little time, it's a long story and I want to make sure I tell it right."

I nod, kissing her sweetly. "Take all the time you need, baby. I don't want to talk about her anymore today."

She nods back, "me either." Emily smiles, navigating us towards the sofa while keeping our bodies pressed so tightly I thought our limbs might start to combine. I mumble a "good," pressing our lips back together, the way they belong.

My arms tighten around her, fingers gently scratching at the small of her back. She smiles into our kisses, pushing back with as much force she can without being aggressive. She turns us so that the back of my legs hit the sofa, pushing me down gently without separating our lips. Her legs straddle mine, and she presses a series of short kisses to my lips once we're situated. She parts from me, looking into my eyes while wearing a soft smile.

"I like you a lot."

This earns her another kiss. "I get that a lot." I wink at her, pulling her closer, always closer, and letting our lips brush.

And just like that, everything's back to normal.

xx

It's getting pretty late in the afternoon, and Emily left for work at around one. Basically, there's nothing to do. Because yes, I do live in the Big Apple, but no, it's not fun to walk these streets alone in the pouring rain while everyone's cramped together and a vast majority of New Yorkers are coughing, usually into my face.

The days of autumn are among us, and now's probably the worst time to do anything. Aside from the tragedy of summer leaving me, another one is quickly approaching: my first day at college is only a few weeks away.

I don't know what to do. I know I should be doing something productive, but I have no clue what that would be. I've already done a couple summer assignments, and Emily helped me annotate a few things on my syllabuses that were mailed to me to help me throughout the year.

I've called Rachel, and she's recommended that I do about a million college preparation workshops, which I have lied to her about going to. She's basically spent all of her free time researching which projects will help me with which classes, and which teachers will appreciate what background knowledge, and blah, blah, blah. I might as well let her attend my classes for me.

There's not much else that I can do, but I just don't feel ready.

xx

Emily's supposed to be leaving work in about forty minutes, so after tidying up around my apartment, I decide to meet her at the coffee shop and wait for her to finish her shift so I can walk her back to her place.

So, Emily is a barista, and she wears this cute little red apron with a smiling coffee mug ironed onto the front, and god, I love when she has her hair pulled back like that. She wears these black shorts with her uniform and a plain white t-shirt, and even though it's such a simple outfit, she looks so fucking beautiful.

"Hey there, cutie," I walk up to her at the register, giving her a wink. "I'm looking for something, but I can't remember the name of it. Can you help me out?"

She gives a smile to match mine, rolling her eyes. "I'd love to. Do you remember what it tasted like?"

I stare off into the distance for a moment before giving Emily another wide smile, suddenly remembering exactly what I wanted. "Mm, sweet, but also a little spicy," Emily raises her eyebrows, egging me on. "Very sweet, though. Definitely hot." I lean forward over the counter, grabbing her hand and pulling her a little closer. We smile at each other; I swear this girl will be the death of me. "Do you know what I'm talking about?"

Emily smiles, shaking her head at me. "I think I have an idea." She moves in closer, brushing the tip of her nose against mine before turning around at lightning speed, right as I move in to kiss her. Her laughter fills the tiny café, and she starts brewing a drink.

She returns a moment later with a cupped drink in her hand, holding it out to me. "One pumpkin spice latte, that'll be two dollars and fifty nine cents," she beams at me, offering me the cup.

I roll my eyes this time, passing her a five. "Keep the change." She smiles again, looking around to make sure no customers were around before giving me a warm kiss.

"Thank you," Emily says, handing me my receipt and swiftly kissing me again. "Let me clock out and I'll meet you outside."

I nod, taking the cup out of her hand and pressing a kiss to her cheek before exiting the coffee shop.

xx

**A/N: **_Hello, again. Sorry this one is a little short, I just wanted to get this posted. Review and let me know what you'd like to see in upcoming chapters!_


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